How to know when you’re ready

howtoknow

I want to tell you two truths about bringing your gifts to the world.

You will never feel ready. And they will never be perfect.

I was on the phone with my team about a week before Replenish was officially released. I had to approve the latest proof and…it wasn’t perfect. We had flagged a handful of formatting and grammar edits that should have been corrected (even though five people read it multiple times on top of a paid copy editor)– we all still missed some spots.

I had this moment of torment, wondering if I should massively delay the whole thing to try and correct these last minute edits.

And then Donna, my assistant extraordinaire, asked me if she could read part of a blog post to me. As she was reading the article a quote by Tina Fey came up that said, “The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30.

In that moment I absolutely knew that my 11:30 had come.

It was time to move forward now.

It was time to rest in knowing I did my absolute personal best, I strove every day for over a year toward excellence in writing this book and if I paused, if I held back, if I retreated one more time to try and catch every last error I could find…then I would have passed over from seeking excellence to seeking perfection.

And when you do that, everything starts to fall apart, because the great likelihood is you will never allow your beautiful gifts to see the light of day if you ask them to be perfect first.

Perfection keeps us hidden and small because it sets up a finish line we can never find.

I believe we’re all meant to offer our best and brightest selves to the world…but our personal best is a very different goal than perfection. Whether it is how you are showing up as a spouse, mother, neighbor, business woman, or beautiful soul sharing her gifts with the world- be sure you know which track you are on.

When you are on the track of offering your personal best day in and day out, you know when your 11:30 comes. You know when you need to tend to the seed or when the fruit is ready to bear.

The next time you find yourself dimming down, recoiling back, fearing that what you have to offer isn’t good enough yet, find a quiet place within yourself and ask if this is your personal best right now?

Ask if your gift (as it is right now) can brighten a dark place in the world in some way.

If the answer is yes, then give it freely…let it spread hope, healing and love to those meant to receive it (which, incidentally always includes the giver as well).

Do you have a gift or a dream that keeps stirring within you to bring a little closer to offering the world? I would LOVE to hear about it…let me know in the comments!

Much love,

Lisa